Video settings

Lions tickets sell-out in 15 minutes

Hundreds of fans have been left disappointed after tickets for The Lions Test games against the Wallabies sold out in 15 minutes on Monday, matching the record ticket sale numbers in 2001, says Peter Jenkins from the Australian Rugby Union.

THEY say interest in rugby union in Australia is waning? Fans stood up and showed otherwise on Monday by buying every ticket for the three-Test British and Irish Lions Tour against the Wallabies in 15 minutes. Hours later some of the tickets were being offered online for four times the original price.

''This is a Tour that has been 12 years in the making, and sporting fans around the country have acknowledged its magnitude by rushing to be part of the event,'' the ARU chief executive, Bill Pulver, said on Monday.

''To see allocations exhausted for the three Test matches and for the Lions match against the Waratahs four months out from the Tour is a wonderful endorsement for what will be a truly memorable visit by one of international sports' most iconic teams.

History … Jonny Wilkinson played at the last tour. Photo: Supplied

''It is fair to say this is looming as the most successful Lions Tour in Australian Rugby history.''

Advertisement

The tour, from June 5 to July 6, saw all ticket allocations for the Melbourne and Sydney Tests bought at prices from $95 to $295.

Ticket sales for the second and third Tests in Melbourne on June 29 and Sydney on July 6 began at 9am - however, by 9.15am, none were left.

But demand for tickets was greater at 9am, Brisbane time, for the first Test on June 22 in Brisbane where a sell-out was recorded after five minutes.

With ticket sales now at 229,000 for Tests in Brisbane (52,000), Melbourne (52,000), Sydney (83,000), and a sell-out NSW Waratahs game at Allianz Stadium (42,000) on June 15, the Australian Rugby Union is looking at a sales target close to 400,000 with five games left.

After Monday's announcement, the ARU was expecting the British and Irish Lions tour to be the biggest in Australian rugby history. And with 30,000 Lions fans expected, it is also set to be one of biggest in-bound sporting tours to Australia after the 2000 Olympic Games and 2003 Rugby World Cup.

With such interest, the ARU also sent out a reminder to anyone who has missed out on tickets so far - or does so in the future - to not buy tickets from unauthorised ticketing sites, including eBay, Facebook and other online platforms. Tickets sold outside ARU Ticketing Terms and Conditions may be cancelled with no refund. The ARU will announce over the next months should tickets become available.

Despite the ARU warning, ticket buyers were offering them for sale again online for nearly four times the original cost on Monday. Tickets were on eBay on Monday morning, with one bronze pair to the first Test in Brisbane posted for $699 after originally selling for $180.